Youth and sports minister Reezal Merican Naina Merican said a spectator management protocol was being prepared for approval by the National Security Council (MKN), which oversees measures to contain Covid-19.

Reezal said the ministry must convince the council and the health ministry about the viability of the protocol. However, he said he is optimistic that supporters would be able to return to watch their favourite teams, Bernama reported.

He said his confidence was based on watching the compliance of Malaysian Football League teams with the current health and hygiene protocols.

Reezal said one or two stadiums would be allowed to admit spectators before the measure is expanded to other venues of M-League matches.

“We will further study the mechanism with MFL on Thursday before it is taken to MKN,” he said. “In the initial stage, we are proposing at least 10% of the actual capacity of the stadium or 4,000 people whichever is lower.”

He said the ministry had also studied measures employed by others such as the English Premier League, which uses a tier system, while South Korea and Thailand have allowed up to 25% of stadium capacity.

“The highest is in Victoria, Australia, at 50% while Italy allowed only 500. So I think 4,000 spectators would be in the middle,” he said.

The 2021 M-League campaign kicked off last Friday with defending champions Johor Darul Ta’zim retaining the Charity Cup for the fourth consecutive time, defeating Kedah Darul Aman FC 2-0 at Sultan Ibrahim Stadium.

Last Thursday, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said the government might allow the presence of fans in the stadium on a small scale in stages if Covid-19 cases in the country dropped further.

The government recently approved the reopening of cinemas, and the holding of meetings, incentive travel, conferences and exhibitions.

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